Senate president wants to hike minimum wage from $8

Senate President Therese Murray Thursday opened another political can of worms just as the Massachusetts Legislature votes on massive tax hikes.

Speaking to 500 Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce members, Murray said it was time to consider raising the state minimum wage, already among the highest in the nation, from $8 an hour.

"In order to make it in Massachusetts, a single person needs $28,000 a year," said Murray. "If you make the minimum wage, you make $16,000 a year. How do you make up that $12,000 gap?"

Connecticut and Vermont have higher minimums at $8.25 and $8.60, respectively, while Maine and New York just approved hikes to $9 per hour. A bill already filed in Massachusetts would raise it to $11 over three years.

"This is going to cost jobs, not get employers to add employees," said Patrick Griffin, Republican political analyst. "What we need to do is bring more workers in the work place, let them succeed and earn more money."

"A business like this can't take much more," said John Ciulla, co-owner of Adams Fish Market in Dorchester, who said with tighter fish quotas and rise in rent and electricity he already struggles to keep four workers on the payroll.

But he would not say layoffs would be certain.

"I don't know, I couldn't say that, that we would have to," said Ciulla. "We'd have to for a number of reasons and that would just add to it.

Across the street, Alan Gibson, owner of The Butcher Shop, Mrs. Murphy's Kitchen, said with four full time workers and four part time he needs every pair of hands, so layoffs would not be possible.

"It would mean we would have to raise prices because we to pass down the cost unfortunately," said Gibson, "and things are expensive as they are right now. It would leave us no choice."

But small business owners already paying above the minimum wage say they would rather cut the budget elsewhere.

"I was like them once too and I was making more than the minimum wage," said Demosthenes Piazentinos, owner of Brothers Pizza in Needham, "so I don't want to deny them, what I had before I became a business owner."

However, a vote may be further down the road than some believe.

Asked if it would be a tough ask in a year where legislative leaders and Gov. Deval Patrick are pushing for tax hikes to overall the state's transportation system, the Senate president signaled she's thought of that.

"You notice I said, let's begin the conversation," she replied.

But observers say it might take the heat off those running for re-election.

"A minimum wage vote is a lot easier for a legislator to take then the whole tax package being addressed today," said Mary Anne Marsh, Democratic political analyst.

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